We should never let reality interfere with our dreams. Reality can’t see what we can see. – Simon Sinek
At first glance, reality appears firm and immovable. It dictates the boundaries of what seems possible: the financial limits, the societal expectations, the hurdles of age, background, or resources. And yet, if we look closer, history shows us a different story—a story written not by those who surrendered to reality, but by those who dared to imagine something beyond it.
Simon Sinek’s quote challenges us to rethink how we fundamentally approach our goals and aspirations. Dreams are not naive illusions; they are often glimpses into a future that reality has not yet caught up with. The true innovators, artists, pioneers, and leaders understood this secret: reality is a starting point, not a boundary.
But what does it really mean to dream beyond reality, and how can we nurture this powerful mindset in our own lives?
Beyond the Horizon of the Present
Reality is simply the sum of current conditions, temporary, fluid, and constantly changing. It is the snapshot of a single moment in time, not the full narrative.
Dreams, on the other hand, reside in the infinite realm of potential. They are seeds of future realities waiting for cultivation. If we allow reality’s constraints to govern our aspirations, we are locking ourselves inside yesterday’s possibilities.
When the Wright brothers dreamt of human flight, reality said it was impossible. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, reality said change was a distant hope. When Steve Jobs imagined an iPhone, reality offered only flip phones and pagers.
Sinek’s quote reminds us that our dreams are often born from a unique perspective, an insight into what could be that reality, in its myopic view, cannot grasp. It’s the artist seeing a masterpiece in a blank canvas, the entrepreneur envisioning a thriving business where others see only risk, or the individual believing in their ability to achieve the impossible despite past failures. Our dreams are fueled by a vision that transcends the limitations of the present, a vision that only we can truly see.
Cultivating Unseen Potential
So, how do we cultivate this “unseen vision” and ensure that reality doesn’t clip its wings?
Embrace “Outcome Visioning”:
Lou Tice a pioneer in personal development, emphasized “outcome visioning”. Focusing not on how to achieve something but on the vivid, emotional experience of having already achieved it. When we zero in too early on “how” it will happen, our minds immediately present limitations. But when we imagine the outcome, success, joy, impact, we tap into creativity and resources that would otherwise remain hidden.
Practice Tip: Each morning, spend five minutes vividly imagining your goal as already accomplished. Focus on the feelings it brings, the sights and sounds around you, and how your life is changed.
Visualize Your Future
David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, teaches that a “blueprint of the final result” acts like an internal GPS. When you clearly visualize where you want to go, your subconscious mind begins steering you toward actions, decisions, and even people that align with that vision.
Visualization isn’t just fantasy; it’s mental rehearsal, preparing your mind for success.
Practice Tip: Create a “Vision Board” or a journal entry where you describe in intricate detail the life you are moving toward.Create a clear picture of what success looks, sounds, and feels like.
Reprogram Your RAS
Your Reticular Activating System (RAS) acts like a filter, prioritizing information based on what you subconsciously believe is important. If you think achieving your dream is unlikely, your RAS will filter out opportunities. But if you believe it’s possible, your RAS will begin highlighting chances and connections that support your goal.
Practice Tip: Use affirmations daily and express gratitude for progress and also, as importantly, gratitude for the fulfillment of your vision in real time. Statements like “I find opportunities everywhere” gradually reshape what your brain notices.
Challenge Limiting Beliefs
What you accept as “reality” may simply be a set of assumptions based on past experiences or cultural conditioning. Question them. What once seemed impossible is often ordinary in hindsight.
Practice Tip:
Write down three “reasons” you believe you can’t achieve your dream. Next to each, write at least one counterexample or way to challenge that belief.
Find resource in a mentor, friend or therapist who can provide an avenue to outwardly express yourself and internally develop strength in your own resolve.
Embrace a Growth Mindset
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s research shows that those with a growth mindset, believing that skills and intelligence can be developed, achieve far more than those with a fixed mindset.
Practice Tip: Reframe setbacks as necessary steps in the learning curve, not as evidence of failure. Ask yourself after every challenge, “What did I just learn that will make me better?”
The Power of Unwavering Belief
Ultimately, the ability to transform dreams into reality hinges on belief. If we allow reality to define our potential, we shrink ourselves to fit a world that is incomplete.
If instead, we honor the visions given to us—however audacious or unconventional—they become the seeds that reshape reality itself.
The process may be slow. Doubts will come. But unwavering belief is what keeps the dream alive long enough to see the first green shoots break through the soil of the current moment.reshape reality itself.
Conclusion: The Invitation to Dream
Reality is important as it gives us context, feedback, and challenges to overcome. But it is not the final authority on what is possible.
Your dreams are not hallucinations; they are invitations. They are glimpses into a future that your mind and heart were uniquely wired to imagine.
If you wait for reality to give you permission, you will wait forever.
If you trust the unseen vision, you will find a way where none yet exists.
Trust your vision. Nurture it. Guard it. Then, step by step, bring it into the light, until reality itself catches up.
We should never let reality interfere with our dreams. Reality can’t see what we can see.
